The invention is based on the discovery of specific sequences present in HPV39, sequences which constitute its originality and which make possible particularly discriminating detection of papillomaviruses of the HPV39 type. These sequences or fragments of these sequences can be used for constituting particularly sensitive hybridization probes, in particular, primers which make possible analyses by the so-called PCR method. Before proceeding further with the description of these sequences or sequence fragments, it is proposed to make a brief review of the state of the art and, then, to provide a detailed description of the genome of HPV39.
Among the 60 if not more different types of human papillomaviruses, some are associated with neoplasias or with carcinomas of the genital apparatus (1). The DNA of HPV16 and HPV18 were detected in 50% and 20% of the biopsies of cervical, vulvar or penile cancer (2,3). The HPV 31, 33, 35, 39 and 45 were encountered less frequently in such lesions (1,4). By using the DNA of HPV6 as a hybridization probe under conditions of low stringency, HPV39 was first cloned from biopsy samples of Bowenoid penile papules, which contain the viral DNA in its episomal form. On the other hand, the viral DNA was found to be integrated into the cellular genome of invasive carcinomas (5). In a recent study performed on 365 patients infected with HPV, the DNA of HPV39 was detected in 3.9% of the tissue samples.
The biological study of HPV has been hindered by the absence of a tissue culture system for in vitro viral propagation. The analysis of the sequence of a certain number of papillomavirus genomes (2, 3, 6-14) has provided the basis for the understanding of their genetic organization and their regulation, for the expression of individual genes and the generation of antisera, and for the evaluation of the phylogenetic relationships among the very many types of HPV.